Improvement in animal traps



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IMPROVEMENT IN TRAPS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERNV:

Be it known that I, A. FROST, of Seymour, in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Animal Traps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which-'- l i Figure 1 represents a plan view with the top removed.

v Figure 2, a sideelevation, with one side removed in order to exhibit the shape ofthe levers.

A indicates the box, `which may be made square.` B is a partition which divides said box into two equal compartments, and is provided with a communicating hole, as represented by letter s in fig. 2, suticiently'large for the animal which itis designed to trap to passthrough. It will beohserved that the compartment in which the levers work has no end pieces, but is left open for reasons more fully appreciated hereafter. a. a represent two sheet or plate levers, the shape of which is indicatedby the red and black linesfin fig. 2, one of which serves as a door for separating the two compartments. Said levers are connected at their ends by means of wire or metal bars c c. vZ: represents a rod which passes through the centre and near the top ofv the strap. Upon this rod are hung the levers a a', as seen in fig. 1. The lever a, indicated by black lines in iig. 2, is provided with a corresponding hole with the one-alreadyv referredl to in the partition B. b b' represent doors. 'li'is made of tin or some light material, and is hinged at the bottom of the trap, while b is made much heavielgand is hingedrnear its top. Said doors are providedwith loops it', as fully shownin fig. 1. The bars c c, which con- .nect the levers d a, pass between said loops-and the doors. Thus it will be seen that in pressing the levers a a' downward the door blfalls from the top, while door b rises from the bottom, leaving a clear and unobstructed passage through the compartment in which they arevplaced. d represents a wide piece of metal, secured to the bottom of the compartment just referred to, and is .designed to act as a tripping-platform or catch to leverva in setting the trap, by means of a slot, as indicated by letter o in fig. 2. AThe .piece of metal'ol should possess spring suiiicient that the weight of the animal will press it down and relieve the lever a from the slot o, thus causing an immediate closing of the doors and the entrapping of thevanilnal.` g represents a han-ger, secured loosely to the top of partition B. Said hanger is turned in from the bottom, as may be seen in fig. 2, and its object is to prevent the animal after being entrapped from pushing up.thc doors and escaping. m represents a wire door, which is hinged between the partitionB and half partition C. .Y n is a lever formed by theprolongation of one of the wires in door m. A slot is cut into the partition B to allow the lever n to push against lever afor the purpose ofsetting the trap. A hole is cut-in the bottom of the trap to permit theanimal to :esca-pc into a barrel or any other vessel prepared to receivehim after bcingrcntrapped.

The operation is as follows: The trap being set with suitable bait, the animal, in getting on the platform d, at once relieves the-lever a from the slot o, when the vdoors immediately close byreason of the greater weightof the door b. The animal finding himself entrapp'ed seekszto get out, andin' doing so passes through vthc hole 8,.,and under the wire door m, which in doing he resets. the trap for the next rat or animal.

Having thus fully described my invention, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is?- 1. rJhe plate levers a a,.constructed and arranged so as to open or close simultaneously the -doqrs b substantially as specified.

2. The doors b b', provided with loops i z',in combination with levers a a', as and for the purpose sett'uth.

3. The spring-platform or treadle d, provided with. slotlro, for engaging with the iev-ern', as and for the l purpose described.

A. FROST.

Witnesses:

E. B. CcLLINs, F. S. Po'rTs. 

